Minnesota Independent

Rowley, Napolitano: Recent murders don’t vindicate DHS extremists report

By Andy Birkey | 06.26.09 | 11:57 am

Recent murders in Washington, D.C., Kansas and Arizona by suspects with far-right ties have put the term “domestic terrorist” back into the American consciousness. But do these murders validate a much-criticized Department of Homeland Security report on “rightwing extremists”? Not according to two experts who should know — DHS head Janet Napolitano and former FBI agent Coleen Rowley.

Twitter’s utility for protests, now evident in Iran, debuted in St. Paul during RNC

By Chris Steller | 06.22.09 | 10:23 am

Iran has proven the headline prescient, even if the terminology needed tweaking: “The revolution will be Twittered.” That was the title of Tom Elko’s Sept. 9, 2008, Minnesota Independent post…

FBI, Ramsey County spied on Iowa group before RNC

By Andy Birkey | 05.18.09 | 11:57 am

The Des Moines Register obtained confidential documents last week that show a Ramsey County deputy traveled to Iowa to infiltrate groups protesting the Republican National Convention. The deputy was working…

St. Paul Mayor Coleman: ‘No shortcuts to economic prosperity’

By Chris Steller | 04.20.09 | 5:44 pm

“Shaken.” That’s a word Mayor Chris Coleman used to describe St. Paul during today’s State of the City address. “A near-collapse of financial markets” has already forced to make “significant cuts,” Coleman said. But he reminded citizens that CIty Hall was built during the Great Depression and promised that even in “excrutiating times,” St. Paul would continue to “refuse to be ordinary.”

RNC protesters’ ‘Tour de Fletcher’ bike event attracts fellow travelers: cops

By Chris Steller | 03.30.09 | 5:33 pm

A bike tour of sites that had been raided by police in the days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) attracted the interest of…police. That’s apparent from a video of the tour, which took place on Saturday.

RNC prosecutions: More cases dismissed for lack of evidence

By Paul Demko | 03.20.09 | 2:24 pm

The St. Paul city attorney’s office is not faring too well in prosecutions stemming from the Republican National Convention in September. Of 672 initial cases turned over for potential misdemeanor prosecution, roughly 85 percent have been dropped due to insufficient evidence. And none of the few cases that have made it to court have resulted in a conviction.

RNC8 protester court hearings start this week

By Chris Steller | 02.23.09 | 10:22 am

Court dates arrive this week for the eight Republican National Convention protesters who were preemptively charged with terrorism felonies, according to the support group Defend the RNC8. The motion hearings — postponed due to a judge switch — find the…

RNC aftermath: No charges from 323 arrests on final day

By Paul Demko | 02.20.09 | 4:11 pm

Charges will not be filed against 323 people who were arrested on the Marion Street and Cedar Street bridges during the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, the St. Paul city attorney’s office announced today. Local civil rights activists say the failure to press charges is the latest evidence that many RNC arrests were frivolous.

By RNC standards, is SUV ramming Planned Parenthood terrorism?

By Chris Steller | 01.23.09 | 10:56 am

When an SUV rammed the Planned Parenthood office on Ford Parkway in St. Paul yesterday on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, was the driver furthering terrorism in violation of Minnesota’s Patriot Act – a charge Ramsey…

What a riot: Outside panel presents mild critique of RNC policing

By Paul Demko | 01.14.09 | 8:34 pm

Nearly 800 people were arrested. Pepper spray, flash-bang grenades and tear gas were repeatedly used to disperse crowds. Store-front windows were smashed and vehicle tires slashed. If nothing else, the four days of the Republican National Convention certainly succeeded in bringing some excitement to normally sleepy streets of downtown St. Paul. Today, before a sometimes rambunctious crowd, a seven-member panel led by former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Luger presented an 82-page report on policing during the Republican National Convention to the St. Paul City Council.